Mumbai police have successfully solved the case of Saif Ali Khan’s stabbing using advanced facial recognition technology. The technology confirmed that Mohammad Shariful Islam, a 30-year-old Bangladeshi national arrested in connection with the attack, was the individual captured on CCTV footage from the crime scene at Khan’s Bandra residence.
Islam allegedly broke into the actor’s 12th-floor apartment on January 16, intending to rob the actor. Upon being confronted by Khan, Islam stabbed him six times before fleeing. The police, after arresting Islam on January 19 in Thane, used forensic analysis, including facial recognition, to confirm that he was the person seen in the security footage from the Satguru Sharan building, where Khan resides.
The forensic report validated that Islam was indeed the man on the CCTV, linking him to the crime. Islam had allegedly entered India illegally, changing his name from Mohammad Shariful Islam Shehzad to “Bijoy Das” and has yet to fully explain his actions. Authorities are also investigating his financial transactions and the individuals who facilitated his illegal entry into India.
Despite the significant breakthrough, a Bandra magistrate’s court on Wednesday declined to extend Islam’s police custody, placing him in judicial remand instead. The court ruled that there were no new developments in the case that warranted further custody at this stage.
Saif Ali Khan, who underwent surgery after the attack, was discharged from the hospital five days later. Though recovering from his injuries, Khan has not yet commented publicly on the incident.
